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10-25-2010, 01:44 PM | #1 |
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Aftermarket rim strength?
Hey all,
Over the last few weeks I have been doing heavy research into getting lightweight rims for my 135i. I am pretty much insistent that every thing that goes on my car boost performance in some way. Thus I have decided to get lightweight rims. I have found (thanks to many of yours help!! Thanks so much!!!) rims that are very light weight but are cast. I know that as far as strength goes forged would be they way to go but at 1,000+ per rim i feel my money would be better spent elsewhere (power kit etc.) So... Are these lightweight cast rims strong enough? I drive my car fairly aggressively at times (never excessive) and the roads in my area are pretty bad. Thanks for your help guys! (Also note that I am not bashing or attacking any manufacturers! I simply want to make the best decision) |
10-25-2010, 03:47 PM | #2 |
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Which cast, light-weight wheels are you asking about?
When looking at light-weight wheels, being fully forged does not guarantee strength in today market anymore, with countless wheel manufacturers that don't do 3rd party testing on all their wheels. To save from writing a novel, just let us know about wheels in question, and we can provide you more specific information. |
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10-25-2010, 04:06 PM | #3 |
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IF you want a wheel thats strong AND engineered well... look for a TÜV stamp or papers that come with the wheel. Its not only about strength but that the wheel bend after a certain amount of impact - so it doesn't crack or snap off the hub. TÜV test these things.
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10-25-2010, 05:33 PM | #4 |
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Some cast methods produce high strength and relatively light wheels. I have a set of BBS RK's in 17" for my Audi. Each wheel weighs ~19lbs. Lightweight, yet they took plenty of abuse on streets of Boston (anyone who lives there know bad roads). Then again, I paid $300 a wheel, 10 yrs ago.
I would do your research about the manufacturer... if you tell me the wheels are cast, lightweight and made by BBS or OZ... I say, go for it. The probability is very high you're getting good quality wheels. I also know they won't be cheap. On the other hand, if you tell me the wheels are cast, light-weight and costs about $200 (or less) each from a manufacturer that's relatively new to the wheel business (<10 yrs), I'd ask about their manufacturing & QA processes, and like Dackelone said...check for TUeV stamps and testing papers. If the manufacturer follows ISO-certification process (most manufacturers abroad (China, Thailand, etc.) usually claim ISO to attract American businesses), they should have testing paper for you. This is just my personal opinion, but I see the quality of wheels on the same level of importance as quality of metal that the car manufacturers stamp my car out of. I can probably buy a car that's light and cheap, but it probably not crash test worthy. After tires, wheel is the 2nd thing that connects your car to the road. |
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10-25-2010, 06:14 PM | #5 | |
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There is no strength requirement for the different methods, it just goes by load rating for a specific application. The JWL standard for 18"+ BMW wheels is 690KG. The VIA in Japan tests this. They will not test a higher load rating at the VIA, so you will not get a certificate showing that one wheel can handle more load then another. All you will know is if they meet that 690KG standard. This is why we can't just generalize in this thread, and why it's pointless until we know what wheel we're talking about. As that wheel may or may not have even been tested. |
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10-25-2010, 07:06 PM | #6 |
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Im looking at rims such as the Breyton GTS-R, Apex APC-8, VMR 701 and 710. And a Volk, im not of the model on that one. And again, i do not think that any of these are cheap or poorly made, i just want to be sure.
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10-25-2010, 08:29 PM | #7 |
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You should be able to get wheel information from the reseller/seller. It's like buying anything else (TV, computer, car, etc.), if the seller can't produce meaningful, factual information about product you want to buy, would you still buy it? Just my 2 cents.
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10-25-2010, 09:59 PM | #8 |
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I think you need to decide some factors:
Desired weight, price, size, etc. You mention Volk which have always been my favorites, and I've never heard a bad thing about them. These will be super expensive (depending on the model), especially compared to Breytons and some of the others on the list. I've heard excellent things about Enkei wheels, and the PF01 and RPF01 look like great wheels (although the fitment is a bit aggressive for the 135, but should still work). The OZ HLT wheels are very light weight and reasonably priced, and I've heard are great. The good news about cheap wheels, is that if you do break one, it is cheap to replace. Kosei's are usually the go to cheap cast wheel, and loved because it can be replaced easily/cheaply. In my research what I've found is that certain manufacturing process makes the material stronger. This does not necessarily mean the wheel is stronger. Often the reason Forged wheels are lighter is because they can make a reasonably strong wheel much thinner than a similar cast wheel. So pound for pound I believe forged will be stronger, but the comparison is never pound for pound (because we want lighter wheels). As mentioned above, there are some other cast methods too. Low pressure cast is generally better than gravity cast. Flow formed or rolled barrels can also produce strong wheels (some BBS, Enkei MAT, SSR). Read about the different construction methods on Tirerack or on the internet. Then decide on the styles you like or at least narrow it down to a specific price, weight, and size. Remember that you often get what you pay for as well. Not saying to spend 1k per rim, but something that sounds too good to be true at 200 a wheel may be. I've cracked a BMW wheel on bad roads too, so be prepared its possible to break a wheel! Good luck, Tim
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10-25-2010, 10:07 PM | #9 |
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Thanks guys! I never knew finding the right rims would be so difficult! Perhaps im being too picky? But then again if the rim i want doesnt exist wouldnt my money be better spent other places? If a rim breaks does it become a safety issue?
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10-25-2010, 11:08 PM | #10 | |
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The ARC-8 wheel is flow-formed and VIA certified. It's 8.5" front (18.45lbs) and 9.5" rear (18.2lbs). It's the only 9.5" rear with 1 series specific offsets that allow for the use of wider rear tires such as 265 or 275 extreme summer/r-compound tires without fender rubbing. There has never been a single wheel failure to date (crack or anything else) other then 2-3 reports of minor bends that could only be detected on a balancer due to race/track abuse from off's or berms. The VIA certificate numbers are as follows: 18x8.5" et38: VIA-15-0459 18x9.5" et62: VIA-15-0461 The VMR wheels should be low-pressure cast, and not really considered light-weight, so I don't think they'd fall into the same category of wheels. I don't think they've ever even tried to claim to be a light-weight performance wheel. The rear offsets are still too aggressive for the 1 without stretched rubber, so they are aiming for the customer that likes their numerous aesthetic/appealing designs I could never find VMR on the VIA database. They like many others claim to meet/exceed JWL/VIA requirements on their website. I interpret that as just doing their own in-house testing and never getting an official certificate. If they did, they could easily provide that info, so no need to speculate more. You just need to ask for the certificate number. |
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10-25-2010, 11:40 PM | #11 |
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For me BMW wheels or BBS and that is the choice I would pick why settle with other brands and worry about quality of the wheels.
You drive a BMW why go cheap on the wheels.
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10-26-2010, 03:39 PM | #12 |
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The ARC-8 is at the top of my list. Largely because i want NO rubbing. And i am going with a Non runflat tire so ill save a fair amount of rotational mass simply by doing that
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10-26-2010, 06:25 PM | #13 |
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I went thru the same research as you although this was nearly two years ago. At the time DForce was coming out with "the" race specific wheel for our cars. They still have options out there but it was Apex that finally came through with "the" race specific wheel. I got tired of waiting and found a good deal on some used forged wheels.
I next researched tires. Btw you really don't save much weight going from RFT to non-RFT. A few tire brands are prone to being heavy but most were within a few pounds of each other. And of course smaller wheels are lighter so 17's would be the way to go if you didn't mind the look.
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10-26-2010, 08:17 PM | #14 |
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I am thinking that the Apex is what i will end up with. though i am a little speculative that i can fit 8.5 and 9.5 inch wide rims under my car with no rubbing.... Any idea on the weight of Pilot Sport PS2's?
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10-27-2010, 12:49 AM | #16 |
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You can get the BMW 216 is made by BBS.
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10-27-2010, 05:53 AM | #17 |
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Go to Tire Rack or any similar site. Click Michelin, click PS2, click Sizes, choose one, click Specs.
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10-27-2010, 05:11 PM | #18 | |
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Our V710's are offered in an Exclusive 1-Series fitment which is a 8.5 +45 front and a 9.5 +50 rear. This will allow you to run a 225 front and a 255 safely at Sport height. Our V701's have not been offered in a +50 rear, but a +45 can work with a 245 tire. If you have any further questions regarding our wheels, feel free to shoot me a PM directly and ill be more then happy to help you out. -Charles@VMRWheels
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